Appreciation post: My view on home inspections did a total 180 after our first offer fell through

Six weeks ago, we put an offer on a cute little bungalow in the suburbs. The seller said it was 'move-in ready' and we were so excited we almost skipped the inspection to make our offer stronger, which our agent warned against. We paid the $450 for the inspection anyway, and thank god we did. The report came back with a cracked heat exchanger in the furnace, knob and tube wiring still active in the attic, and a basement wall with a serious bow. The fix list was over $25k. We walked away, heartbroken. Fast forward to now, we just closed on a different place that looked less flashy but had a clean inspection report. That first failed deal changed everything for me. I went from seeing an inspection as a box to check to seeing it as the most important money I'll ever spend. Has anyone else had an inspection totally save them from a nightmare buy?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith15d ago

Our inspector found a cracked sewer line under the slab. That one picture of the camera footage saved us from a 15k repair we never saw coming. Never skipping that step again.

harperg7615d ago

But are you sure that crack was even a real problem? Sometimes those camera guys make a big deal out of tiny hairline cracks that have been there for years and never leak. Did you get a second opinion from a plumber before you decided it was a total disaster? A picture can look scary without showing the full story.

julia54914d ago

Ever wonder if @harperg76 is right and some inspectors push repairs for the work? Like, do they get a cut from the plumbing companies?